Oil seal



May 9, 1944.

J. A. ANTONELLI OIL SEAL Filed oct. 1o, 1942 Patented May 9, 1944 UNITED STATES; lPATENT oralesv om Aslain.

J osepl A. Antonelli, Elgin, Ill., assignor to Victor Manufacturing & Gasket Company, Chicago,' Ill., a corporation of Illinois ApplicatonOctober l0, A1942, Serial No. 461,575 3 Claims. (Cl. 286-5) The present invention relates to an oil seal and .especially to a seal primarily designed for u se .in connection with a distributor for anaviation f engine wherein the distributor is driven from the engine. In this type of'assembly, one side of the seal faces toward the crank case and retains the lubricant, and the opposite side of the seal faces toward the distributor mechanism and excludes lubricant andany foreign matter from entering the distributor mechanism. .Y

The novel oil seal is provided with opposed seal# ing members so constructed and arranged that:

their contiguous or adjacent contacting faces provide a series of spaced, substantially radially extending grooves or labyrinths affording drainage of any lubricant that may seep or leakv by the' sealing lip on the crank case side of the oil seal` members and the grooves' provided thereby in staggered relation.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross'section'taken on theline 4-4 of Figure 3 and showing in dotted outline the staggered relation of the lands or embossments on the opposed sealing members.

Figure 5 is a view in end elevation of one of the sealing elements, but omitting its metal washer or ring to which it is' bonded.

Figures 6 and 7 are views of an alternate form of sealing members in which the lands are pro-v vided on but one of these members.

Referringmore particularly to the drawing and the embodiment therein selected to illustrate and thereby assure against any lubricant entering the electrical mechanism of the distributor.

The novel invention comprehends providing or forming lands or raised surfaces on the sealing members to afford adequate drainage therebetween. These lands, embossments or raised 7sur-- faces are so disposed that the groovesor labyrinths between the lands or embossments of the sealing members need not b e aligned when placed assume any position relative to each other and still properlyfunction to drain away any lubricant that may seep or leak past the sealing lip from the crankcase.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efficiency, economy and in the retaining shell, but may `be staggered or ease of assembly and operation, and such furseal.

Figure 2 is a view in vertical cross section through the seal toshow more .clearly the construction and relation of the sealing members.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the sealing elements in side elevation and the `the novel invention, 'the oil sea1 shown in Fig-l `ures 1 to 5, inclusive, comprises a retaining shell or channell having its'opposite edges 2 and 3 turned inwardly o` mount and clamp therebetween a.pair of ealing members 4, I. These.

sealing members-are similar in construction and each comprises a sealing element 5 preferably formed of an loil resistant compounded synthetic rubber molded or bonded to a metal washer or ring 6. By bonding the sealing elements toftheV metal washers, when the outerl channel or shell is-closed onto the sealing members 4, it gloses against the metal washers and maintains a rigid assembly to thereby assure a proper pressnt in a given housing in which the seal is mounted.V

Each sealing element-is formed or molded with a series of lands or embossments 1 suitably spaced apart to provide a plurality ofsubstantially radially extending grooves or labyrinths 8 for the drainage of'any lubricant, etc., which may bypass the sealing lip 9. This sealing lip is'prefer-` ably-formed integral with the body of he sea1- ing element but so disposed as to have a continuous wiping and sealing contact with a shaft or other part which it encompasses.

As clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lands or embossments 1 project inwardly and are maintained in abutting relationship. These may 'be placed in alignment or made to coincide with-the.

resulting alignment of the grooves or labyrinths 8, or these lands may be staggered with consequent staggering of the grooves. .In either event,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the novel oil were lubricant, etc., to leak or seep by the sealing lip 9, it would drain outwardly through the grooves 8 to the annular recess l0, and be discharged through one or more openings vIl spaced aboutthe cylindrical wall I2 of the channel memlands or embossments' of the-oppositev sealing'l ber or retaining shellv L At least one of Jthese openings Il will 'always be in alignment with drain grooves provided at the bottom of the surrounding housing in which the seal is mounted.

Figures 6 and 7 disclose an alternate construction of sealing members I3 and I4 in which the lands or embossments I5 are provided only on the sealing element I6 of the member Il. The inner face of the sealing element I1 of the mem- Vber` I3 is made plain and the lands I5 of the member I4 abut thereagainst. In other respects this construction is similar to thatshown in the other views.

Although I have explained that the present seal is primarily adapted for use in connection with the distributor of an aviation engine, the

rubbers.

Having thus Ydisclosed my invention, I claim: 1. A unitary seal for sealing a pair of members such asa rotatable shaft and its surrounding housing against the escape or passage of lubricant or other uids, comprising an annular retaining shell, a pair of sealing elements mounted within the Shell in abutting relation and each provided with a sealing lip in spaced and opposed wiping contact with one of the members, and passages provided in the abutting surfaces of the elements and shell for draining away from the f elements any lubricant leaking or seeping past a sealing lip.

2. A seal for sealing a pair of members such as a rotatable shaft and its surrounding housing against the escape or passage of lubricant or other uids, comprising a channel-shaped retaining shell, a pair of opposed sealing elements mounted between the opposite side walls of the retaining shell, the abutting faces oi' the sealing elements being provided with spaced lands form-y ing grooves therebetween for the passage of any lubricant collecting between the sealing elements. and openings provided in the retaining shell and communicating with the grooves for discharging any lubricant from the grooves.

3. A seal for sealing a pair of-merfibers such as a rotatable shaft and its surrounding housing against the escape or passage of lubricant or other iluids, comprising a channel-shaped retaining shell, a pair of sealing members mounted between the opposite side Walls of the retaining shell and each provided with a sealing lip in spaced wiping contact with the shaft, lands projecting from an inner adjacent face of at least one of the sealing members, passages provided between thev lands for draining 'away any lubricant or other uid which may leak or seep past either of said lipsJ to the interior'of the seal, and openings provided in the retaining shell for the passage of lubricant collected in the passages.

- JOSEPH A. ANTONELLI. 

